ANGEL WITCH ANGEL WITCH reviews

Specialists/collaborators reviews

I hear lots of Iron Maiden in here. Especially on their first album. Wait a minute! This came out a whole year BEFORE Iron Maiden's eponymously titled debut album. Just goes to show that even though a band can present the world with something incredible and unique that it doesn't mean that they will be the ones to reap what they sow. ANGEL WITCH is the perfect example of that and despite really never doing anything better after this debut album, they still have it on their resume that this DID come out before anything Maiden released, therefore deserving a spot in music history which according to the ratings it certainly hasn't gone unnoticed. Not saying that MAIDEN totally ripped them off or anything but they come to mind first as the closest heirs to this particular sound of NWOBHM. In fact there is more than the sound that is a connection here.

The band was originally formed under the name of Lucifer but split up leaving original drummer Steve Jones to join up with Bruce Dickinson to start the new band Speed. Small world or wall smirled? The remnants of Lucifer are what became ANGEL WITCH on this debut album.I have the 25th Anniversary Expanded Version (oh so far behind am I!) and it has countless bonus tracks. Overall the original album is mandatory for any metal collection and the bonus tracks are quite pleasant and worth having in their own right. ANGEL WITCH will forever deservingly be known for their contribution to the metal scene for this one album but also serve as a history lesson for the reality of the musical world at the time when before the internet it was quite easy to borrow a band's entire sound without anyone knowing and basically stealing the legacy leaving the original creators only a footnote in history.

Kevin Heybourne's Angel Witch have gone through a range of different lineups - they broke up not just once but twice between this debut album and the followup - but it's really this debut for which they'd be remembered, a strange and unique mixture of old, new, populist and experimental.

Combining punk rock-tinged vocals with updated Sabbath-inspired riffs and lyrical subject matter, and mashing up occult allusions on the one hand with cheesy singalong bits on the other (just try and get the refrain from the first song out of your head once you've heard it!), the band played a key role in plotting out how the NWOBHM would contribute to expanding the parameters of traditional heavy metal.

Members reviews

Debut and best album from Kevin Heybourne & co. At the time of release this was one of the heaviest of the NWoBHM albums and should have been the start of a long and prolific career amongst the top ranked bands such as Iron Maiden & Saxon but sadly it was not to be.

Includes the singles 'Angel Witch' and 'Sweet Danger' as well as heavier tracks such as 'Angel Of Death' and my personal fave 'White Witch' which is a subtle mix. All the songs are driven by Kev's riffs and memorable vocals and lyrical themes of the occult and the mysterious. The album cover painting matches and enhances the lyrics and music and hangs in London's famous Tate Gallery.

As with most NWoBHM albums this is nearer to Black Sabbath than what we now call Heavy Metal but in 1980 this was as heavy and evil as it got. If you pick this one up make sure to get the 30th Anniversary Expanded Edition which includes an extra CD of demo's & singles plus the BBC Friday Rock Show Session all of which are worth hearing.

So this album is five stars all the way and a must have in any NWoBHM collection. Lets be hearing you ... 'You're an angel witch, you're an angel witch'.